Home-school Athletes Rebuffed

HIGH SCHOOLS

October 10, 1995|By SCOTT KAUFFMAN The Orlando Sentinel

GAINESVILLE - — Florida's rapidly growing home-school movement was handed a major setback Monday by the Florida High School Activities Association, when the board of directors rejected two proposed by-law amendments that would have permitted home-schooled students to participate in athletics.

Meanwhile, in another major development at the board's annual October meetings, the FHSAA approved a by-law amendment that will incrementally raise the required minimum grade-point average for athletic eligibility to 2.0 over a three-year period.

If principals pass this proposal in a March '96 referendum, the amendment will take effect July 1, 1996.

Unlike the 2.0 proposal, which was passed with relatively little discussion, the home-school proposals prompted a lively debate. In the past 10 years, the number of home-school students in all grades has increased from 2,579 to about 20,000.

FHSAA commissioner Ron Davis said the main concern is fairness.

"These youngsters that are in home education. ... they would be allowed to come in and participate with no strings attached," Davis said. "They wouldn't have to meet any academic regulations; they wouldn't have to meet any attendance regulations; they wouldn't have to meet any GPA regulations."